Single-trigger firearm.



A. B. LARD.

SINGLE TRIGGER FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY24.1B03.

1,01 1,972. Patented Dec.19,19l1.

3 8HEET8-BHEET 1,

A. E. LARD.

SINGLE TRIGGER FIREARM. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1903.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

AIE. LARD.

SINGLE TRIGGER FIREARM.

APPLICATION 111.1111 1111.224. 190a.

1,01 1,972. Patented Dec. 19,1911.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3 .mililllllui COLUMBIA PLANoaRAPn CDNWASHUQGTON, n. c.

post or column; Fig.

ALLAN EDWARD LARD, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

SINGLE-TRIGGER FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Application filed July 24, 1903. Serial No. 188,898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLAN EDWARD LARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Single-TriggerFirearms, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to single trigger firearms, theconstruction and advantages of which will be hereinafter set forth,reference being had to the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the firing mechanism, with the parts inposition ready for firing the first barrel, the lock-carrying platesbeing omitted for the sake of clearness; Fig. 2 a vertical sectionalview, on the line 2-2, of Fig. 1, the lock-plates and scars being shownin position; Fig. 3 a horizontal sectional view, on the line 33, of Fig.1; Fig. 4 a perspective view of the check-stud or post, as seen from theunder face or lower end thereof; Fig. 5 a perspective view of the safetyactuatin rod; Fig. 6 a similar view of the safety slide; Fig. 7 a sideelevation of the mechanism viewed from the opposite side to that shownin Fig. 1; Fig. 8 a side elevation, illustrating the position of theparts as they appear in the act of discharg mg the first barrel; Fig. 9a similar view, showing the position of the mechanism before or afterthe second discharge; Fig. 10 a horizontal sectional view, on the line10-10 of Fig. 7, illustrating the arrangement of the selective lever;Fig. 11 a perspective view, showing the trigger plate, the trigger, theslide for actuating the selective lever, and the spring employed tonormally depress the trigger and also to maintain the slide in itsadjusted position; Fig. 12 a like view of the firing-plate, and theweight; Fig. 13 a perspective view of the detentlever; Fig. 14 a sideelevation, partly in section, illustrating a modified form of the safetymechanism; Fig. 1 1* a top plan view thereof; Figs. 15 and 16perspective views, showing modified means for connectin the safetyactuating-rod to the barrel locking- 17 a side elevation of a portion ofthe trigger plate, detent or spur lever and lockingpost, illustrating amodification of a portion of the invention; and Figs. 18, 19 and 20,vertical sectional views, illustrative of different forms of safetymechanisms.

This invention relates to firing mechanism for fire-arms of that classset forth in my prior Patents No. 636,050, dated October 31, 1899, andNo. 747,191, dated December 15th, 1903, in which a single trigger isemployed to fire a plurality of barrels. The improvements embodied inthis application may be stated as follows: First: The construction of anautomatic safety rod that will perform the function of a set rod.Second: Elevation of firing-plate from the trigger plate, first bycontact of the spur-lever with the locking-post, or secondly, by adepending or upwardly-extending projection upon one or the other memberas desired, whereby a space will be left at all times between saidmembers for the dust and dirt which inevitably work in, and which wouldotherwise be liable to prevent proper positioning and operation of theparts. Third: The construction of a locking-post that will eliminatelost motion in the trigger, and one that can be bent for adjustment ofthe parts and conformation to different drops of stocks. Fourth: Theconstruction of a trigger and slide retaining spring which, whileserving to position the trigger and slide, also serves to hold the slideor button carried thereby close up to the trigger-plate. Fifth: Theconstruction of a spur-lever that cannot be pulled to one side of thelocking-post. Sixth: Matting the lower end of the spurlever and the top,rearwardly-inclined surface of the check-stud so as to cause anengagement of the parts, for a purpose hereinafter set forth. Seventh:The construction of a recess in the weight, for the reception of aspiral spring, whereby a long spring of relatively heavy wire may beemployed, which while insuring sufficient ease of action preventsbreakage as the result of corrosion; and eighth: Modification of thesafety device. W'hile these are the essentials of the present inventionthe claims are not to be limited thereto, as other details are present,which will be specifically claimed.

Referring first to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 13inclusive, A denotes the frame of the gun, the usual frame of adouble-barrel shotgun being shown for the purpose of illustration; B(Fig. 2) the lockplates; C the scars; and D the trigger-plate. Edesignates the trigger, fulcrumed at F upon the trigger-plate. Saidtrigger is formed with an upwardly extending blade or arm G, as in theconstruction shown in my former patents. A firing-plate or carrier H isfulcrumcd upon the trigger-plate, preferably upon the same pin or pivotas the trigger, and is provided with laterallyextending projections orlugs I, which project outwardly beneath the sears, as indicated in Fig.2, while immediately above said lugs and extending forwardly thereof theplate is provided with a transverse slot or opening in which ispivotally mounted the selective lever J. The rear end of this lever, aswill be seen upon reference to Fig. 10, is provided with two fingers K,which are so spaced that one or the other may be swung out over its lugI, Fig. 10, in which position it will be between said lug and thecorresponding sear. To position the lever J as may be desired and tomaintain it in such adjusted position, I make use of a slide L, whichworks in a slot formed in the trigger-plate, the upper end of the slideprojecting upwardly past the lever J and working in conjunction with thebevel or cam faces M and N formed on the edge thereof, as best shown inFig. 10. Said slide is formed or provided with a cover-plate O, for theslot in the trigger-plate, and with a finger-piece or stud P. Extendingoutwardly from the side of the slide is a pin or stud Q, which, as shownin Fig. 7, works in conjunction with the l\-shaped end of a spring R,the stud passing to one or the other side of the apex of the spring asthe slide is moved in one or the other direction. As the spring bearsupon the under face of the pin or stud Q. it serves to draw thecover-plate 0 up into close contact with the under face of thetrigger-plate, thus making a close joint between the parts but stillpermitting them to be readily shifted to efiect an adjustment of theselective lever. Spring R (see Fig. 11) is secured to the trigger-plateby a screw S, said screw preferably passing through a coil formed in thespring intermediate its free ends, one end as just noted acting inconjunction with the stud Q, while the opposite end bears on a shoulderformed on the trigger, normally holding it down. Thus it will be seenthat a single-piece wire spring held in place by a single screw, effectsa three-fold purpose, namely, of holding the slide in either of itsadjusted positions, holding the coverplate in close contact with thetrigger-plate, and finally holding the trigger in its normal depressedposition.

As in my aforesaid patent and application, a lever or arm T is pivotedto the firing-plate at its upper end, and is connected to the upper endof the trigger-arm G by means of an interposed link U. A spring V,having one end'secured to the firing-plate and its opposite end to thelever at a point slightly below its fulcrum, serves to draw the lowerend of the lever forward, said end, as in the former constructions,being provided with a detent or spur W. A look ing-post X, having anoverhanging tooth or hook Y, is secured to the trigger-plate in linewith the spur-lever T. As will be seen upon reference to Fig. 13, thelower end of the spur-lever is made materially thicker than the upperportion thereof, said upper portion being of necessity of the samethickness as the trigger-arm or blade G. There is no objection, however,to having the lower end of the spur-lever thicker, and by making thesame of double thickness, as shown, I preclude all possibility of thespur W missing the tooth Y by pulling to one side thereof.

It is manifest that if the entire spur-lever were of the same thicknessas the triggerarni (one-sixteenth of an inch) the slightest play of thetrigger or firing-plate in the trigger-box would be multipliedsufficiently at the end of the firing-plate to allow the spur-lever topull out of line one-sixteenth of an inch, and thus miss the tooth. Theincreased thickness, however, precludes the missing of the same even ifthis play be present. With this construction the trigger andfiring-plate may be given a considerable play in the triggerbox, so thatshould the lubricating oil become gummy or the parts somewhat dirty orcorroded, they may freely swing upon their pivot or pivots. In otherwords, it is not necessary that the parts he so closely fitted as wouldpreclude operation thereof except under the most favorablecircumstances.

The lower front face of the locking-post X is given a slight forwardinclination, and the parts are so proportioned that when they are in thepositions indicated in Fig. 1 the detent or spur W comes into contacttherewith and with a check-stud Z, and prevents the further downwardmovement of the parts, thus holding the lower edge or face of thefiring-plate out of contact with the trigger-plate. As before noted,this space affords accommodation for any dust or dirt that may collectbetween the parts and which might, were this provision not made,seriously affect the proper positioning of the various portions of thegun.

The locking-post X will be made of such thickness at its upper end thatthe tooth may be bent up or down, and likewise of such thickness nearits base that the body of the post itself may be bent forward orbackward. This enables me to secure the desired adjustment of the parts,as when the trigger is pulled to fire the first barrel the detent on thespur-lever should travel. a certain distance before striking the tooth,and when firing the second barrel it should miss the tooth by a veryslight margin. This arrangement likewise facilitates the adjustment ofthe parts when the drop of the stock is altered. As will be readilyappreciated, a drop in the stock will of necessity cause a drop in therear portion of the trigger-plate D and as a consequence will draw orthrow post X away from the spur W, thereby destroying the properrelation and position of the parts. By so constructing the mechanismthat adjustment of the post X and hook Y may be secured without thenecessity of substituting a new post, the drop in the stock may bereadily accomplished.

The check-stud Z, shown in detail in Fig. 4, is provided with arectangular or polygonal portion (1 upon its under face, and with acircular stem or post 6 extending downwardly therefrom, said membersbeing passed into corresponding openings in the trigger-plate and theouter end of the post, the outer end of the cylindrical portion beingriveted or upset as usual. The polygonal portion prevents the check-studfrom turning, and consequently maintains it in proper position at alltimes. This construction assures the same height of checkstud for allguns, which would not be the case if the check-stud were screwed intoposition. The upper face of said checkstud and the lower end of thespur-lever are matted or serrated, as clearly indicated in the variousviews, for a purpose which will presently appear.

The tang or upper member of the frame A is provided with a groove orchannel in its under face, and a safety actuating-rod c is mountedtherein. The forward end of this rod, as will be seen upon reference toFigs. 1 and 3, abuts a shoulder formed upon a post or bolt d, of thebarrel-locking mechanism, while the rear end of said rod is rounded andpasses through an eye formed in a lug 6 extending downwardly from thetang.

A spring f encircles the rounded portion of the rod, hearing at one endagainst the lug and at the opposite end against the enlarged portion ofsaid rod. The latter is provided or formed with a depending arm orfinger g, standing in line with a stud h, extending laterally from aprojection i on the spur-lever T. The rod 0 is also provided with alaterally-extending finger j which, under certain conditions, comes intocontact with a downwardly-extending post k, connected to thesafety-slide Z, which works in a slot formed in the frame or tang. Post7; is provided upon one side (see Fig. 7) with a laterally-extendingstud or finger m, which operates in conjunction with the V-shaped end ofa spring a, secured to the under side of the tang. The inclined faces ofthe spring serve to hold the slide in its forward or rearwardadjustment.

The safety-slide Z is provided with a notch or recess into which extendsthe rounded end of a lever 0, pivoted or fulcrumed upon the locking-postX. The lower end of said lever is notched or cut-away and stands in linewith the rearwardly-extending end 7) of the firing-plate H. The notchedportion of the lever may be caused to engage the rearwaidly-extendingend of the firing-plate when the first barrel has been fired and it isdesired to lock .the second barrel against discharge. When the topleverA is operated to unlock the barrels, the safety-slide will be movedbackwardly against the tension of the spring, at which time lever 0 willbe rocked and its lower end thrown over and into engagement with therearwardly-cxtending portion 79 of the firing-plate. At the same time,the downwardly-extending finger 9 will come into contact with the stud hand throw the spur-lever to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1.As the gun is closed and the top lever released, the rod 0 will againmove forward under stress of the spring f, but the safety-slide and itslever will remain in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

As in my former patents, I employ in this construction a weighted leverto properly position the parts and prevent discharge of the secondbarrel due to the recoil action of the gun. The lever in this instance,however, is of a slightly different form from that shown in said PatentNo. 747,191. The lever r is fulcrumed or pivoted upon the firing-plateats, the lower end of said lever being provided with a pin or stud t,which extends laterally beyond the firingplate into the path of thelower portion of the spur-lever. The upper end of the lever r isweighted or made materially heavier than the remaining portion thereof,and is normally held in its rearward position by a coiled spring a, saidspring being seated at its forward and lower end in a recess or socketformed in the upper face of the firingplate, while its rear end enters aseat or socket formed in the lever, this latter seat or socket beingbored out to a considerable depth in order that the spring may be madeof comparatively heavy wire and yet be highly resilient. Where a smallwire is em ployed, corrosion is apt to affect its life, whereas a springmade of heavy wire but of considerable length is practicallyindestructible and still possesses the desired resiliency.

The operation of the mechanism thus described is as follows: Assumingthat the gun has been loaded, the barrels closed and the safety-slide lmoved forward to the position indicated in Fig. 1, the first barrel maynow be fired,either the right or the left as the case may be,-accordingto the adjustment of the selective lever. If the parts he in thepositions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the selective lever thrown to theright under the sear, the right-hand barrel will be first dischargedupon the movement or elevation of the trigger. A pull upon the triggerto discharge the right-hand barrel will. move the parts into thepositions shown in Fig. 8, the spur or detent \V moving up into lockingengagement with the tooth Y of the locking-post X. The spur makes thismovement by reason of the pressure which the sear C exerts upon theselective lever and through it upon the firing-plate H which, in turn,on account of its pivotal connection with lever T, will throw the lowerend of the lever rearwardly. After the first barrel is fired and thepull on the trigger is relaxed. the parts will assume the positionsindicated in Fig. 9. lVhen the trigger is again pulled, the point ofspur W passes the lowermost point of the hook Y before lug I engages orcomes into contact with the second sear to discharge the second barrel.In order to prevent any lost motion in the trigger before the first searis lifted, the face of the post X, where the spur-lever rests, isinclined forwardly to a slight extent, as shown in Fig. 1, so that assaid lever is swung upwardly into engagement with the tooth Y the spurwill bear against said inclined face till the sear is lifted. After theright-hand barrel is discharged. or practically simultaneouslytherewith, the weighted upper end of le ver T will be thrown forward bythe recoil, at which time the pin 2., carried by the lower end thereof,will come into contact with the spur-lever and tend to carry the same toits rearward position, thereby blocking the involuntary pull upon thetrigger due to the action of the recoil. As will be readily un derstoodby those skilled in the art, the spring a will immediately throw theweight to its rearward position and permit the lower end of thespur-lever to move over and rest upon the check-stud Z, the matted orserrated faces of the lever and stud preventing the trigger-spring Rfrom forcing the spur-lever T downwardly to its lowermost position, orto that shown in Fig. 1. In other words, the parts will come to thepositions shown in Fig. 9. The second barrel may now be discharged whenthe trigger is again pulled. Upon elevation of the trigger fordischarging the second barrel, the outer end of the spur or detent IVwill move up adjacent to the outer forward face of the tooth Y upon thelocking-post X, the parts being so proportioned as to have justsufficient clearance to enable the detent W to move along the outer faceof the tooth Y.

After the second barrel has been fired, the parts will come to theposition shown in Fig. 9, or that which they occupied just previous tothe discharge of said barrel. Before the gun can be again cocked afterfiring one or two barrels,at which time the spur-lever rests upon theupper face of the checkstud,it becomes necessary to push said lever offthe check-stud or into the position shown in Fig. l, and it is for thisreason that I employ the finger g, which acts in conjunction with thelaterally-extending stud or pin h. As before noted, when the safetyactuating-rod c is moved rearwardly the finger g engages the stud h andmoves the spur-lever off the check-stud, thereby permitting thefiringplate to drop to its lowermost position and the lever 0 to beswung on its pivot over the rearwardly-projecting portion p of saidfiringplate. When it is desired to have a safety non-automatic, thelateral finger j is removed or bent downwardly, thus leaving theactuating-rod free to move rearwardly without engaging the safety-slideshould the same be in its forward position. The construction ofactuating-rod above described is particularly adapted to that make ofguns in which the under grip-locking bolt (to which the rod is usuallyattached) is omitted.

Instead of having the rod actuated by a shoulder formed upon the post,as shown in Fig. 3, with a spring for moving it forwardly, it may beconnected to the post, as illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16. In the formercase the rod is provided with an upwardly-extending finger 1;, whichfits in an opening formed in a lug or projection w extending outwardlyfrom the post. In Fig. 16 the post is shown as provided with two lugs.50, w, the forward end of the rod lying between and being pin-jointedto said lugs. With these or equivalent constructions the spring f may beomitted, as the rod is positively moved in both directions.

Instead of employing the safety locking lever 0, which is actuated bythe safetyslide, I may use the construction illustrated in Figs. 14 and14. In this case the under face of the safety-slide is formed with adiagonally-disposed slot or channel A, into which extends the upper endof a post or bar B, said post being connected at its lower end to aleverC, fulcrumed, as shown, upon the upper end of the locking-post X, andextending forwardly beyond the front face of the firing-plate H, whereit is provided with a stepped lateral projection D, one or the other ofthe two faces of which comes into locking engagement with thefiringplate according as one or both hammers are to be locked out. Aswill be readily understood, the movement of the safety-slide will causethe lever C to swing in one or the other direction, according as thepost B comes into contact with one or the other of the inclined facesformed in the slide. The slot A is made long enough to permit sufiicientlost motion between the slide and post for a full movement of thesafety-slide.

In Fig. 18 a still further modification is shown, wherein thesafetyslide is provided with a downwardly-projecting arm E, having alateral offset F, the end of said arm or the ofiset acting inconjunction with an upwardly-extending finger G, formed upon a rearwardextension of the firing-plate.

In Fig. 19 the safety-slide is shown as connected to a sliding bar H,supported upon the under face of the frame or tang, and carrying at itsforward end a down wardly-projecting arm I, having arearwardly-projecting offset J. The end of the arm and the offset coactwith. a pin or stud K, extending outwardly from the firing plate,locking one or both barrels against firing, as the case may be.

Fig. 20 illustrates a further modification of the safety device, inwhich an ear L extends downwardly from the tang or frame, to which earis pivoted a lever M, the upper end thereof working in a recess formedin the safety-slide, while the lower end is provided with an elongatedslot. A slide N is secured to the under face of the tang or frame, saidslide carrying at its rear end a pin 0, which works in said slot. Theforward end of the slide is bent downwardly and provided with a shoulderor offset P, the end of the slide and the shoulder coacting with thefiring-plate to lock out one or both barrels, as the case may be.

With all these modified forms of safety device it will, of course, beunderstood that the slide may or may not be operated by the safetyactuating-rod, as desired.

In guns having a very light trigger-pull and a non-automatic safetydevice I prevent the premature firing of the first or second barrel byproviding a notch in the lower end of the spur-lever and a correspondingnotch in the check-stud, to receive the same, as shown in Fig. 17. Thisengagement of the spur-lever and check-stud prevents the firing-platefrom being jarred up against the scars, either by the forcible closingof the gun or the impact of the same with the shoulder, in the mannerdescribed in my Patent No. 747,191, application for which was co-pendingherewith. When this construction is used, it becomes necessar to leave aslight space between the end 0 the spur-lever and the locking-post, inorder that the notch in the spur-lever may clear the notch in thecheck-stud, and in this case I hold the firinglate away from thetriger-plate either y a spur Q, depending rom the firing-plate, or by aspur extending upwardly from the trigger-plate, as clearly shown indotted lines in Fig. 17. As will be noted upon reference to said figure,the projection is placed well forward or adjacent to the trigger, sothat any drop in the stock will not vary the relation of thefiring-plate to the trigger-plate. It is to be noted that thefiring-plate swings about a fixed fulcrum and that the point formed uponsaid plate will cut through any dirt which may collect,

as it swings directly down toward the trigger-plate, not movinglengthwise thereon, and consequently does not have to plow through anydirt which might accumulate on the plate. Inasmuch as the firing-plateis thus at all times held in its proper position with reference to thetrigger-plate, it forms a ready means by which the measurements for theadjustments of the sears may be made. This form of constructionaccomplishes the same result as is obtained by providing for contactbetween the spur-lever and the locking-post, as before described, givinga space between the firing-plate and trigger-plate for the collection ofsuch foreign matter as will always work in between the parts.

While the invention has been illustrated in conjunction with a usual andwell-known type of breech-loading shotguns, it is, of course, manifestthat it may be employed with any fire-arm employing a plurality ofbarrels and a single trigger for operating the sears.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patcut is:

1. In a breech-loading firearm, a rotatable post or bolt for actuatingthe barrel-locking mechanism; a top lever for moving the bolt; a firingmechanism; a safety rod moved rearwardly by said bolt as the same isoperated to unlock the barrels; a lock-out device for the firingmechanism; and means actuated by the rod as it is moved rearwardly toproperly position the firing mechanism for engagement with the look-outdevice.

2. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a firing mechanism; asafety rod; a lock-out device for said firing mechanism; and meanscarried by the rod, acting upon and properly positioning the firinmechanism preparatory to engagement of the lock-out device therewith.

3. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a locking device forthe barrel; a rod in operative relation with said lockin device; asafety mechanism operated by said rod; 9. firing mechanism; and meanscarried by the rod to properly position the firing mechanism preparatoryto engagement of the safety mechanism therewith.

4. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a locking device forthe barrel; a rod in operative relation with said lockin device; asafety mechanism operated by said rod; a firing mechanism; means carriedby said rod to properly position the firing mechanism preparatory toengagement of the safety mechanism therewith; and means for moving saidrod out of the path of the firing mechanism as the barrel is locked.

5. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a locking device forthe barrel;

a firing mechanism; a safety device for the firing mechanism; and meansoperated by the locking device to properly position the firing mechanismfor engagement of the safety device therewith.

6. In a breech loading fire arm, the combination of a locking device forthe barrel; a firing mechanism; a safety device for the firingmechanism; a rod in operative relation with the safety device and withthe bar rel locking device and being actuated by the latter as thelocking device is operated to unlock the barrel; and a connectionbetween said rod and the firing mechanism operative only as the lockingdevice is actuated to release the barrel, to properly position saidmechanism for engagement with the safety device.

7. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a locking device forthe barrel; a firing mechanism; a safety device for said firingmechanism; a rod in operative rela- 'tion with said locking device; andan arm extending from'said rod into the path of the firing mechanism toproperly position said mechanism for engagement with said safety device.

8. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a locking device forthe barrel; a firing mechanism; a safety device; a rod in operativerelation with and actuated by said locking device; connectionsintermediate said rod and the safety device; and an arm extending fromsaid rod into the path of and engaging the firing mechanism.

9. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a locking device forthe barrel; a firing mechanism; a rod carried by the frame of the piece,said rod being provided with a depending arm, and a laterally-extendingfinger; operative connections intermediate the rod and barrel-lockingdevice: a projection carried by the firing mecha nism standing in thepath of travel of the depending arm; a safety-slide; a projectioncarried thereby, said projection standing in the path of thelaterally-extending finger; and a safety-lever actuated by the slide tolock the firing mechanism out of action, substantially as described.

10. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a locking device forthe barrel; a firing mechanism; a rod carried by the frame of the armand hearing at its forward end against a shoulder formed upon thelocking device; a spring acting on the rod to hold the same in itsforward position; an arm extending downwardly from the rod; a projectionextending outwardly from the firing mechanism into the path of movementof said arm; a laterally-projecting finger also carried by the rod; asafety-slide mounted in the frame of the arm, said slide likewise havinga projection which extends downwardly into the path of movement of thefinger; and a lever in operative relation with said slide to lock thefiring mechanism against action, substantially as described.

11. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivotally mounted thereon; a fixed post extending upwardly from thetrigger-plate; a check stud; and a member pivotally connected to thefiringplate, the lower end of said member bearing against said post andcheck stud and holding the firing-plate out of contact with thetrigger-plate when the former is in its lowermost position.

12. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivotally mounted thereon; a spur-lever pivotally connected to saidfiring-plate; a check stud; and a locking-post extending upwardly fromthe trigger-plate into line with the lower end of the spur-lever, theparts being so proportioned that the lever makes contact with theforward face of the post and prevents contact between the adjacent facesof the firingplatc and the trigger-plate.

13. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivotally mounted thereon; a locking-post extending upwardly andslightly forward from the trigger-plate; and a spur-lever pivotallyconnected to the firing-plate, the outer end of said lever and theforward face of the post being so proportioned and arranged that theymake close contact with each other and maintain said contact as thefiring-plate and lever are moved upwardly in the act of lifting thesear, substantially as and for the purpose described.

14. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivotally mounted thereon; a locking-post extending upwardly from thetrigger-plate, the lower portion or face of said post being inclinedforward to a slight extent; and a spur-lever pivotally mounted on thefiring-plate, and connected to the trigger, the under face of the spuron said lever bearing against said forwardly-inclined face on the postas the firing-plate and lever are elevated, thereby eliminating lostmotion in the trigger, substantially as described.

15. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a triggerpivotally mounted thereon; a firing-plate also pivotally mounted on thetrigger-plate; a spur-lever pivoted on the upper portion of thefiring-plate; a link connecting the upper end of said lever and thetrigger; and a locking-post extending upwardly from the trigger-plate,the front face of the post being inclined forwardly to a slight extent,whereby the under face of the spur on the lever will bear against saidface as the firing-plate and lever are given their initial movement inthe act of discharging the piece.

16. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivoted thereon; a spur-lever carried by said firing-plate; and alocking-post mounted upon the trigger-plate and adjustable toward andfrom the spur-lever, whereby upon the drop or elevation of the stock thepost may be ad justed with reference to the spur lever to cause saidparts to properly function, substantially as described.

17. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivoted thereon; a spur-lever carried by said firing-plate; and alocking-post mounted upon the trigger-plate said post being normallyrigid but capable of being bent to secure adjustment for differentpositioning of the parts, whereby upon the drop or elevation of thestock the post may be adjusted with reference to the spur lever to causesaid parts to properly function substantially as described.

18. In a firearm the combination of a trigger-plate; a trigger pivotedthereon; a firing-plate also pivoted to said triggerplate; a selectivelever carried by the firingplate; a slide for positioning the lever; anda one-piece spring secured to the triggerplate the ends of said springbearing, respectively, upon the trigger and the slide and serving todepress the former and to elevate the latter.

19. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a trigger pivotedthereon; a selective firing mechanism an actuating slide for said firingmechanism working in a slot formed in the trigger-plate; and asinglepiece spring secured to a fixed portion of the arm, said springserving to normally depress the trigger and to maintain the slide inclose contact with the under face of the trigger-plate.

20. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a trigger pivotedthereon; a selective firing mechanism an actuating slide for said firingmechanism mounted and working in a slot formed in the triggerplate; astud extending laterally from said slide; and a single-piece springsecured to the trigger-plate, one end of said spring be ing formed withan l\-shaped portion and passing under the stud, while the opposite endthereof bears upon the trigger and normally depresses the same.

21. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a trigger pivotedthereon; a selective firing mechanism an actuating slide for said firingmechanism; and a single-piece spring secured to the triggerplate one endof said spring bearing upon and depressing the trigger while theopposite end thereof bears on the slide, drawing the same up against theouter face of the trigger-plate, and holding the slide in its adjustedposition.

22. In a firearm the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivoted thereon; a locking-post mounted upon the triggerplate adjacentto the rear end of the firingplate; and a spur-lever carried by thefiringplate and coacting with the locking-post, the lower end of saidlever being made materially broader or thicker than the upper portionthereof, substantially as and for the purpose described.

23. In a firearm the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivoted thereon; a trigger pivoted to the trigger-plate and providedwith an arm extending upwardly adjacentto said plate; a spur-leverpivotally connected to the upper portion of the firing-plate; aconnection intermediate the upper end of the lever and the trigger-arm;and a locking-post standing in line with the lower end of the spur-leversaid lower end being of such thickness as to always insure engagementbetween the spur and the post notwithstanding lateral play or movementof the firing-plate and the lever carried thereby.

24. In a firearm the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-platepivoted thereon; a spur-lever pivoted to said firing-plate the lower endof said lever being matted; a locking post; and a check-stud located onthe trigger-plate in front of the lockingpost, the upper face of saidstud inclining downwardly toward the post and being matted substantiallyas described.

25. In a firearm the combination of a trigger-plate; a trigger pivotedthereon; a firing-plate also pivoted on the triggerplate; a spur-leverpivoted to the firingplate the lower end of said lever being matted; alink connecting the lever and trigger; a locking-post extending upwardlyfrom the trigger-plate; and a check-stud lo cated at a point in front ofthe locking-post, the upper face of said stud inclining rearwardly andbeing matted.

26. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a trigger pivotedthereon; a firing-plate also pivoted on the triggerplate; a spur-leverpivoted to the firingplate, the lower end of the lever being matted; alink connecting the upper end of the lever to the trigger; a weightedlever pivoted upon the firing-plate said lever being provided with alateral extension or projection which stands in the path of movement ofthe lower end of the spur-lever: locking-post secured to thetrigger-plate adjacent to the end of the spur-lever; and a check-studlocated at a point in front of the post, the upper face of said studbeing matted and inclined rearwardly.

27. In a breech-loading firearm the combination of a single trigger; apair of hammers; vertically movable firing mechanism; means for holdingsaid mechanism in a position intermediate its extremes of movement whenin place to release the sec- 0nd hammer; a safety rod; and a safetydevice actuated by said rod, locking the firing mechanism againstmovement, said firing mechanism being moved from its interme diateposition to its lowest position by the movement of the safety rod.

28. In a breech-loading firearm, the 00mhination of a pivotedfiring-plate; means for holding it in a partially elevated positionafter the discharge of the arm; a locking device for the barrels; meansactuated by said locking device as the same is opcrated to release thebarrels for moving said holding means to its normal position, Wherebythe firing-plate may be swung downward to its normal or initialposition; and a safety device for locking the firing-plate when it is inits lowermost position.

29. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing platepivoted upon a fixed fulcrum carried by said trigger-plate, the rear endof the firing-plate swinging directly toward and from the trigger-plate;a trigger; connections intermediate said i trigger and the firing-plate;and means extending downward from the firing-plate and at a pointadjacent to the trigger serving, when the parts are in their lowermostposition, to hold the firing-plate out of contact with. thetrigger-plate and to pass through any foreign matter resting upon thetriggerplate, whereby the parts will properly position notwithstandingthe accumulation of dirt or foreign matter between the lower face of thefiring-plate and the triggerplate.

30. In a firearm, the combination of a trigger-plate; a firing-plateswinging about a fixed fulcrum carried by the triggerplate; a triggerconnected to the firingplate; and a relatively sharp projectionextending downward from the firing-plate at a point adjacent to thetrigger, said projection moving directly toward and from thetriggenplate and serving, as the parts reach their lowermost position,to hold the firingplate elevated from the trigger-plate to a slightextent, whereby the parts will properly position notwithstanding theaccumulation of foreign matter upon the upper face of the trigger-plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALLAN EDWARD LARD.

Witnesses Houaon A. Donon, WILLIAM 'W DODGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, IL 0.

